San Francisco 49ers SS Donte Whitner (hip) suffered a hip injury on the first drive of the game in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and he was unable to return. "It's just a minor injury that a lot of guys get in this league," Whitner said. "(That) was until I couldn't handle the pain. But I'll be ready. It's not that serious." FS Reggie Smith stepped up in his absence in nickel situations, and he had a diving interception in the final two minutes of the game to clinch victory.

San Francisco 49ers LB Manny Lawson (knee) and S Reggie Smith (hamstring) were both injured during Week 4, reports Matthew Barrows, of The Sacramento Bee. However, neither player missed playing time due to the injuries.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said he was impressed with how CB Reggie Smith performed in the team's first preseason and has liked how Smith has done during training camp, reports Phil Barber, of The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. "Not only his performance in this game, but his training camp. He's really stepped up," Singletary said. "He's doing some good things, and it's really good to see at this point. He knew coming in to training camp, this had to be the year for him to make a move, and he's responded very well."